Accidental death

To read the Bible in a year, read Numbers 34–36 on March 5, In the year of our Lord Christ 2019

By Don Ruhl

The Law of Moses dealt with murder, but it also gave instructions on what to do if someone was killed accidentally:

“However, if he pushes him suddenly without enmity, or throws anything at him without lying in wait, or uses a stone, by which a man could die, throwing it at him without seeing him, so that he dies, while he was not his enemy or seeking his harm, then the congregation shall judge between the manslayer and the avenger of blood according to these judgments. So the congregation shall deliver the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall return him to the city of refuge where he had fled, and he shall remain there until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil” (Numbers 35.22–25).

Notice that he did not get the death penalty, but he could stay in a city of refuge. However, if he left the city, then he put his life at risk. He had to stay in the city of safety and protection, even as we have to stay in the church of our Lord.